The Other Boobs of Summer

Allow me to preface this with the fact that I do, indeed, have a job and a life. Now…

I’m pretty excited about all the TV I plan to watch this summer. And it’s not because there are particularly awesome shows airing during the summer months, but because I plan on watching most of these online while I’m working from home. By the way, for all the naysayers out there: television shows can, and often are, very good quality programming on par with a lot of movies out there. And it’s not a waste of time, as long as I ALSO go outside for fresh air ‘n stuff.

Cake shows on TLC and the Food Network

Chef Duff, of Ace of Cakes

One of my greatest joys in life is watching people make truly creative, amazing cakes. Cake Bosson TLC is like Everybody Loves Raymond but set in a bakery and Raymond is a kick-ass pastry chef without a super annoying wife. And, of course, Ace of Cakeson the Food Network is the icing on, well, the cake of cake shows. It’s about a group of friends (give or take a few) who run Charm City Cakes in Boston. They’re much funnier than Cake Boss and, to be fair, make much cooler cakes. Watching these shows makes me want to make “pastry chef” Plan G in my life plan. I don’t know if these are new episodes airing this summer, but who cares? It’s about CAKE!

Fulfilling my violence quota

My new favourite televised obsession is True Blood. The last time this happened to me, I ended up spending a bleary-eyed 20 hours or so watching the first two seasons of Veronica Marsall in a row. Thankfully (for my health and productivity levels) I can only watch one episode a day on Megavideo because of their stupid rules that try to push you to buy a membership. But I digress, True Blood looked like it was going to be a hillbilly (excuse the term) vampire romance. Don’t we have enough of those? (It also sounded like an extrapolation from the episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer when Buffy can hear people’s thoughts but she can’t read the mind of her vampire boyfriend, but let’s not get into that.) Instead, it was a surprisingly witty, well-made, very engaging show. I already love most of the characters, which is a terrible sign if I’m ever going to leave my bedroom again. Season 2 premieres on June 14, so I better hurry and finish season 1.

I’m also dreadfully behind in watching Dexterand The Sopranos, which I’ve had on my Must Watch list for a very long time. I may actually trot down to the local video store to rent these. THAT’S commitment. The Sopranos is over, I know, so there’s plenty of time for that. But season 4 of Dexter begins on September 27 (that sounds like a familiar date…) so I better get a move on if I’m going to watch a whole season and a half in three months.

Oh, and I may watch Dollhousesince it’s been renewed for a second season (presumably through witchcraft) and because of my loyalty to Joss Whedon and peer pressure. By the way, why isn’t Joss Whedon on Twitter??? Srsly.

4 thoughts on “The Other Boobs of Summer”

Okay, I’ll start with the positive: I just saw the ad for Cake Boss in EW, and I wouldn’t mind getting my watch on for that show too! I hadn’t heard of Ace of Cakes, but cake decorating is a hobby of mine just waiting to emerge: I’ve dabbled, but oh man! I need to dabble further. I was so excited about those “spaghetti-and-meatballs” cupcakes that Logan made. I love my Hello, Cupcake! cookbook.

On the other hand: True Blood? Really? Oh, Z, I thought I knew you. I thought we were friends. I got caught up in the buzz and watched the first couple episodes of the show, but I was totally turned off (and so was my TV — well, my MacBook). To me, the whole thing just seems sleazy, red-necky and gruesome in all the wrong ways. (Why did Bill wait until the last second to stop those vampires from harassing and biting Sookie in his own house when he was sitting, like, right there?) And don’t even get me started on the montage of animal carcass/sexy fun times back-and-forth they call an opening sequence. Yeggh.

Well, first, Bill waited until the last second ’cause he had to act like one of them or they’d kill them both – he was outnumbered, after all.

And I happen to like the whole sex/violence them of the show. Yes, even the opening sequence. Southern Christians and sleazy sex? Contrasting, yet, complementary all at the same time! I guess it’s a matter of taste, but don’t you think it’s witty at all the right moments? And surprising when it needs to be? *meh*

Haven’t started Dollhouse yet. That debate will have to wait another day!